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Graphitints AND Coloursofts on illustration board
on ebay

I was having one of those days.
A friend of the family died a couple of days ago, and it got me thinking about life and death and all that good stuff, hence the title. Sometimes it all just seems surreal, doesn't it? Like, what are we doing here, anyway? And what's it all mean?

Plus, its raining raining, this endless gloomy heavy rain and grey sky.

I dunno, this is just what came out today. I actually thought "I feel like doing a yarn piece", and got out my Graphitints and Coloursofts and tried using them together.
I started with brown Coloursoft, then did a Grey Graphitint over the whole thing, then added color, then toned it back down, then did white over it all, then I kind of lost track.

It was very therapeutic though, and I kinda like the result. I managed to get some kind of deep jewel tones, which isn't what I was going for, but that's OK, I like deep jewel tones.

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I'm working on a COOL private commission, wish I could share. Maybe I can, I'll ask. Maybe not though, which I will understand. Its not yarn! ha ha Kind of a children's book thing. Fun fun fun.

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Remember the doll house I gave my mom for Christmas? Well, she loves that thing to death. Today we went online (well, I went online and she sat in a chair and watched) and we found some doll house sites and she ordered...get this...toilet paper. TOILET PAPER. Little teeny tiny rolls of Scott toilet tissue. And a newspaper and a grandfather clock.

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And now I will leave you with this.
Cher is singing. Yes, that Cher.
Burt Bacharach and Hal David did the music.
Remember when Michael Caine looked like this?


To see all the Yarn pieces in this series side-by-side, please go here. Or visit my ebay store to see which are available for sale.
All images and content herein are © Paula Pertile and may not be used or reproduced without permission.

#15
Graphitints on board
on ebay

I'm having my old storm-damaged back fence taken out today, and my yard is littered with dead fence boards and other detritus. So that's what inspired this piece.
Such cheery subject matter!

I wonder if I'd done these pieces in July, if they'd be blooming with color, and would I be using Inktense or Coloursoft pencils instead?

Graphitints and a little Polychromo on board
on ebay

I decided I'm going to do a month of these, then stop. Its been a good exercise to do a little piece every day, no matter what. I'm still enjoying them, but can foresee a day when I resent having to do "my little yarn piece".
I think I'll still try to do a little piece of art every day, it just might not be yarn.

The email invitation came in June: Would I come to camp for a week in August? The inquiry was from the director of Camp Sejong, which brings Korean adopted and Korean American children to a campground in northwestern New Jersey, where they get Korean language, crafts, music, martial arts and cooking along with their swimming, games and summer fun. The director had found my Korean hero book, The Legend of Hong Kil Dong, and heard that I had grown up in Korea: would I bring my book and my background to share with the campers?

I accepted the invitation to be an author-illustrator-in-residence for the week, running workshops for campers ages 7-11. My task was to design daily book-related activities that would promote self esteem. I decided to have the kids make identity books -- collage scrapbooks of images and writing.

In good weather, which was most of the week, my classes gathered around tables in an outdoor roofed pavilion next to the swimming pool. Each child was given a square sketchbook as the base for their art and writing, and there were all kinds of art supplies. We brainstormed group lists about what was great and what was challenging about being Korean, being American, being bicultural and/or being adopted. Each day I introduced a visual idea for the children to use as a takeoff point for their own creations. One day we focused on Korean symbols, another day we drew mythical tigers and dragons based on folk art paintings, or made collages from piles of photographs of traditional and contemporary Korea. My goal was to expose them to as much Korean-ness as possible – in the form of images, symbols, ideas and stories – and allow them to select what appealed to them. (I knew that, living in this country, they were immersed in American-ness every day of their lives.) I wanted each camper to have the time and space to reflect on what it was like to be a person with dual identities.

Each day I also shared a Korean story. These included my book and drafts of folk tale retellings that I’d never pursued to publication. I was struck by the response. The kids went quiet, even the most hyperactive and rambunctious listening with rapt attention. In their slightly unfocused eyes, that hazy look when the mind is deep in an imaginary journey, I saw that the tales fed a hunger, and was reminded again of the power of stories for children.

The week culminated with a readers’ theatre presentation of my book that included live drumming, Tae Kwon Do demonstrations, and a part for every child. It was like watching the book come to life. Afterwards, copies were available for sale and signing.

Going to camp was invigorating, rewarding and fun. I certainly sold some books, but far beyond that, my book – and I - became part of the campers’ lives. I’ve already signed up for two Korean culture camps for next year.

5 x 7
Colored pencil on board

I didn't know this was going to get so dark.
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (specifically, the "Montagues and Capulets") came on the radio as I was working on this. It stuck in my head the rest of the day, and the piece just kept getting darker and darker.

This is not at all my interpretation of that piece of music! The music just influenced how it turned out is all.

I'm still trying to get a feel for these Graphitints. They go really dark so fast. I used some Polychromo and Prisma in the reds to add a little life.

(*A note about the music. Its gloriously dark and heavy and dramatic. If you don't know it, and listen to it through this link, 1:36 is where it starts to get good. Also, imagine it done with a real orchestra, with good acoustics, and the volume cranked...)